Is she ready?

[LilSteve47]

I have a beautiful Indica plant, in an Earthbox, outside in a small greenhouse. As best I can figure I germinated the seed probably near the end of April 09 and placed the seedling in an Earthbox, lets say the first of May (believe me I'm keeping better records now). The plant is 48 inches, from where the stalk emerges from the soil to the top of the tallest bud. Oh yes the seed came from a strain sold as "Big Bud with seeds". I have let nature take it's course and about 3 weeks ago the sun leaves began turning yellow and dying. it was at this time the plant began to develop resin(?) the buds became slightly sticky to the touch. I have attached a picture taken this morning and the question is....Is she ready or should I wait??

 

[RobbyMac]

Re: Is she ready??

It's hard to tell without pics bro...

 

[LilSteve47]

Re: Is she ready??

 

[westbud90]

nice plant man, what is the color of the pistils lookin like? and the trichomes?

 

[Tyrone Hamilton]

I'd say it's ready to smoke, but the effect will depend on the color of the tricomes... do you like couch lock stone or clear strong high?

There are microscopes that sell for about $15 60-100x mag with light - they really help tell exactly where your plant is on the THC / CBD scale.

 

[tintala]

get one of these and your in bidness

 

[Cherma]

Hard to tell from here. You can always take a sample and let it dry out for a few days then try it. I do. If you think it is good, cut her down..

 

[LilSteve47]

Thanks to everyone who commented on my plant. Gonna get one of those microscopes and then go from there. I did cut one of the lower branches for a test run on drying. Again thanks to all

 

[LilSteve47]

Looks like a tool to have, where do I get one like that?

 

[Hierba]

Its really hard to look at the thricomes with a portable microscope.I have the same thing but i dont use it anymore because i get angry everytime..

 

[Tyrone Hamilton]

I don't think any sponsors carry them, so just search google for 60x pocket microscope. Amazon.com carries them too - Radio Shack might have one - they carry them, but not always in stock. Jewelers loupe works too, but they are lower power - 20-30x I think.

You do have to hold them very steady, but I've been happy with mine. It has an LED to light up the sample which most should have. Sometimes I clip a bit so I can put it on a desk. It also shows things upside down, so it's backwards from what you think when you try to move around a bud.

 

[caskins21]

Figured i'd look for a thread like this instead of starting my own.. Can you guys tell me how these trics look? I'm thinking of chopping her tops off today and let the rest of her go for another 4-5 days.

This is one of her tops. If you click on the pic it should zoom in a lot.

 

[MaoZebong]

They still look clear/cloudy to me. I'd have waited until they were cloudy/brown. Someone more knowledgeable than me will come along soon to clarify.

EDIT: Here's a couple of posts you could check out.

Trichome 101

Marijuana Grower's Handbook

"Harvesting"

[Indoor/Greenhouse Edition]

Ed Rosenthal

Female marijuana goes through several stages of flowering. First a few flowers appear. Then new flowers develop around the first ones. Flowers also form at each leaf node along the branches and main stem. The buds start to fill out so that the cluster becomes thick with pistils (the little antennae) reaching out for pollen. The pistils are white, or sometimes shaded pink or lavender. They look fresh and moist.

Some of the pistils begin to wither and turn red, purple, or even a light brown. Just as the cluster looks like it's finished, a new wave of flower growth appears, usually concentrated in a relatively bare spot. Successive waves of flowers may appear for weeks.

The flowers close, and the calyxes start to swell. This is a false seed pof; the flowers have not been fertilized and no seed can develop. These pods are totally covered with resin glands. At maturity the glands should sparkle like individual jewels in bright light. [pH:A thousand points of light! Bush was on[to] something!] The individual glands should appear clear under magnification. When the glands turn amber, the buds should be harvested.

No bud should be picked before its time. Plants and varieties differ as to maturation pattern. Some plants mature all at once, so that the whole plant can be picked. Other varieties mature from the top down. One respected researcher claimed "Most plants I've had mature bottom to top. The main bud was the last to finish." Under lights, however, the top buds mature first most of the time. Next, the buds nearest the top and so on. The buds on the outside of the branch are likely to mature faster than inner buds. It may take a month before the plant is totally picked. Picking the plant a little at a time allows previously shaded portions of the plant to receive light and grow.